Even experiencing the ruins of a once great piece of architecture can be an amazing experience. But a company called AR-Media—the folks behind this instant mechanic app—have come up with another brilliant use for augmented reality that gives tourists a glimpse of a structure in all its original glory

Thankfully, since everyone's foolishly using their tablets to take photos these days, you won't look too out of place holding your iPad up in the air to see what the Coliseum in Rome would have looked like to the ancient Romans. If and when the app is made public, it automatically recognizes structures like the ancient stadium, and hopefully other famous landmarks, without the need for special markers, and rebuilds the missing sections in 3D.

In fact, experiencing the Coliseum through your tablet is probably even preferable to going back 2,000 years to see it in person, since there's no smell of death or screams from heretics and religious contrarians facing an unpleasant demise. [AR-Media via Notcot]